Heard on the Hill: Punch Cup

Partisan battles on the House floor aren’t the only fights that Rep. Mike Quigley has gotten into.

The Illinois Democrat and lifelong hockey fan tells HOH that he used to get into brawls in the stands at Chicago Blackhawks games.

“I grew up in the old Chicago Stadium, getting into fist fights with Blues and North Star fans,” he says, referring to the St. Louis Blues and the now-defunct Minnesota North Stars.

Quigley admitted to throwing a few punches over the years but wouldn’t say how old he was during his fighting days. “Kid, teenager, adult, who knows?” he says. “Most of those records have been sealed, I hope.”

Quigley was all smiles at a photo op Monday with the Stanley Cup, the prize awarded to the National Hockey League championship team. Since Quigley’s beloved Blackhawks won the prize this year, he helped bring the cup to the Hill.

Members including Reps. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) posed with the coveted trophy on the Capitol steps. Van Hollen even grabbed a hockey stick and faced off against Sean Joyce, a staffer for Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.).

Van Hollen, who sported a Washington Capitals jersey that still had a price tag hanging on it, tried to engage Quigley in some trash talk.

Luckily, Quigley was in a good mood and didn’t throw a punch. “I can handle anything you say because we won the cup,” Quigley joked.